splat

NO he is p...... off at the moment. I have to sit there and listen to all his talk about work and I am never rude even though I am not interested because I don't even know these people. The only reason the mice are getting because he did a crappy job building them in the first place. SO really it is all his fault. The rotten gaps that I really didn't know existed, specially in the old birdroom unbelievable. But as for the aviary, they must be going through the rotten wire that is above the tin. As far as I can see all gaps are sealed. The stench I am so sick of it. See with his pigeons he is lucky because they don't have seed there all the time, they get fed at a ceratin time of the day and that is the only seed that is there, Most times the pigeons eat it all in one go, no seed hanging around. Budgies need access to seed at all times. plenty of seed for mice. Ugrhhhhhhhhhhhh

I give my birds beetroot quite often but last when the birds where in the breeding cage I had forgot that they had beetroot in their veges and when checking them, I thought you rotten so an so , the hen was covered in blood, so here I am looking for a scalped chick, then I remembered BEETROOT.

I am just guttered, this morning from the rain , 5 out in the old bird room that I caught god knows how many more. @ in that same aviary but this time not in the seed hopper but behind the piece of wood that keeps the seed in place , well that piece of wood has been removed. Wood shavings have been replaced everyday , well they are going for good now, at least until the problem is sorted. the other aviary is fine, so I must of solved that problem. I still have to work on the 3rd one yet but there are no birds in there at the moment. I couldn't catch these 2 this morning because I was so scared because I one up my leg. I thought I was dead. Anyway I went and got the vacuum cleaner and sucked them up, when I took it out side to put the soapy water in one jumped out but I did drown one. I can not for the live of me work out where they are getting in but they are, determine little buggers. They have to be squeezing through the wire above the tin. Anyway Greg is sick of my winging about mice so I have to shut my trap and say nothing from now on, suffer in silence. He hasn't even helped me one little bit. I caught nothing in my bucket traps.

I think your flash is washing them out, see if you can change the setting or get back further and zoom in. Do you take your photos into photoshop and edit them because if you went into auto contrast it may fix them for you. Photobucket has an edit thing too, just try that if you don't have photoshop. Nearly all my photos get edited and cropped etc

No Kaz, Thank God they aren't getting into the storage bins. Ihave over 200 kilos of seed in storage bins, I would really cry if they got into them. I use wheelie bins for the marjority of my seed.

Beetroot makes them red and really special,lol

I agree with Gb, I mean about the photos, so I will wait for new ones . Can you try and not make them so bright to please. i really like the grey hen, cinnamon grey hen and the yellow Df spangle, grey cinn spangle hen and the grey cock looks nice too. I how big is the grey cinn spangle because if she isn't to small she would be good with the yellow DF spangle as GB said. But will wait for better photos.

Yes Gb, just fill a bucket about 1/3 full just enough that they can't touch the bottom, maybe nearly half full but not too much because they can still get out if they are near the top. The other day when I put those 2 in from the mouse trap hey must of been already weak from sitting inside a mouse trap all night or for a while anyway because they only took about 10 minutes to drown. BUT this morning when I tipped the one in from the seed hopper at about 8.30 and then I went to Shepparton and by the time I got home and checked it out, I couldn't believe it because it was still alive swimming strong after 5 and 1/2 hours. I read on the internet to put dishwashing liquid in to make it quicker , so I went and got some and it died about 10 minutes later. I really felt awful watching it struggle for life but then they are pest.

No Kaz they aren't getting into the storage bins, the seed hopper is in the aviary, it is metal seed holder with glass on the front or back so you can see how much seed is in it. This one has the glass at the back and the draw pulls out from the back too. The seed husk fall through a small piece of mouse proof wire into the draw, it use to be in the wire in the escape part of the aviary, facing into the aviary but I took it out and sat it on a small table in the aviary, this one can't go on the wall like the other ones because of where the draw is. Well every morning there is a mouse or 2 in behind the draw. No where else. They must think it is a safe hiding place.

Oh Gb forgot to say, Sorry that you are going though this, rotten sods. here is the link. It is really easy to make too, just hope it works. http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/easterly110.html

Thanks Kaz, I think that That Patterson guy is wrong and a lot of people around would be saying the same thing, Maybe normal for this time of the year if we hadn't been in drought but serious, this is not normal as I and almost everyone else around say it is bad. If not controlled it will get much worse and if it's normal how come all the bait and mouse traps in most of the stores are sold out, never seen that before. The video clip how horriable, I would die if that happened here. Any way No not like that thank god, but I have seen a few run across the yard. Thanks Nubbly, yes I am baiting but I can't keep up with it, as soon as I put it out it's gone. I put one under the roof of the aviary, between the iron and the cement sheeting and went and checked it about hour later to see if it was getting wet because it is raining now, WHICH means more mice, ugggrrhhh, any way that block was alomst gone, couldn't believe it. So far Jake grabs the mice if he sees them dead or a live and plays with them in his mouth and then spits them out. But If I do see a dead one I bin it straight away. I guess tomorrow I will find heaps more in the traps and seed hopper not looking forward to that and I made to water bait traps, one with cans and one with a plate, see how they go.

Yes we have a minor plague, god would to hate to see a full on one. I don't know about the C soda GB, but today I made 2 bucket mouse traps. I am really worried because I have bait on the roof of the aviary and now it is raining and I can't reach it. The mice will be heaps worse tonight because of the rain. The one I tipped in the bucket of water this morning at 8am was still going at 2pm this arvo, couldn't believe it so I ran inside and got some dish washing detergent and poured it into the water and then it struggled for a few more minutes, I felt so cruled but hey. But I thought it would of been a few minutes and then drowned but this little fella was a fighter.

Kaz I am totally washed out, worn down!!!!!!!!!I think they have beaten me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I swear if I could get away with swearing I would believe me.lol I am meant to be getting my birds ready for a show next week and haven't had time for that, I think I might give the show season a miss this year, I really don't want to put the birds in cages over night in case the mice decide to have a nibble at them and scare them into smashing into the wire and hurting themselves. I was only showing at 2 shows this year plus the young bird shield. AND I really was looking forward to putting the birds down and now that is on hold for god knows how long. It is all just a rotten nightmare. I don't know what else to do, I can't see any cracks or holes, they must be coming from the roof onto the wire and squeezing through because the top part of the wire is normal small bird wire. The one I killed this morning was small and it was in the first aviary but there had to be more because it stinks of mice. But at least there was only the one this time because I last 4 mornings there had been 2 and 3 in the seed hopper. I got 3 in the old bird room one in Greg's shed and one dead on the floor of the shed. I went shopping again and bought more screws and wire. and BAIT.I really don't think that BIcarb SODA works. Nearly all bait that I have put down has been eaten. gone...... At least one thing the aviaries are now snake proof now.

I could cry, I went out there before and the rotten mice are still getting in, I have NO idea where. I totally cleaned the aviaries yesterday, through away all the seed again. When I had finished it smelled nice and now it smells like rotten mice again. STINKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

Hmmmm that's an idea. Considering plaster is in calcium blocks. yes safe. Hey I can add, the ingredients for calcium blocks and if they do nibble at it, It will do them good. Hang on mice eat through plaster!!!

I bought a pair last August I think and I paid a fair bit for them and the hens cere has been almost blue until about 6 weeks ago when it went light brown but 2 weeks later going blue again and now light brown again. I am dieing to put her down while her cere is the right colour and before it changes back. She was a year old in Jan.

Welcome all of you to the Forum, WOW a long info took me 2 sit downs to read, but very informative and very good. I think I know you well now

Thanks Kaz, will give it ago.

My birds flirt all the time, I have cock birds and hens doing it to the perch and wire.

Hi Dario and Welcome to the Forum

Thanks Maisie, Nubbly and Kaz. Well I finished the first 2 completely, so if I get a mose in there tomorrow I will totally scream and that naughty word will jump out of my mouth, I am sure. Maisie I used steel wool in the old bird room last year and I noticed the other day that they have pulled all steel wool out,it's in the middle of the the storage unit now instead of the corner where I stuffed it. And I thought they couldn't get past steel wool but it looks like they all worked together and pulled it out. Kaz I only have a little bit of polyester bats let but it might be enough, but what about shoving in the hollow of the tin in the roof, would it hurt the birds if the picked at it. I am using the mouse proof wire to stuff and block off. But your idea sounds easier on my poor cut up hands and fingers. I don't think I have a finger that isn't cut from the wire and today, when cut the wire with scissors, I forgot to pull my other hand out of the way and I cut my pointer finger, bleed for hours and boy did it hurt. I have a huge area to do in the old bird room, so might give it ago there, have some left over bond crete which is glue I could use that. If I can mouse proof the old room by the week end I might still put the birds down, but the job looks huge, really. Right along the back wall which is at least 27 feet, then the front part which is the same length but I only have to fill up the roof hollows, most of the front part is already done. HUGE JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND I am exhausted from doing this every day, plus today I am not well, but I kept going because I had to for the birds sake.

Great Gb. keep it up

Thank you Kaz. What a nightmare!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been throwing seed away everyday, as if I can afford that. Well I put the wire up so see what happens through the night. I am out of supplies now mainly screws so I can't really do much more until next week. But still trying to block off all holes. Still have to work out in the old bird room and aviary, but they have seemed to have moved from there to the outside aviaries but I guess once they can't get in out there they will go back to the bird room. The old bird room will be much harder to do because I am not allowed to attach anything to Greg's garage and the old bird room is built off that. Blocking the roof area is going to be night mare. BUT I would say that is how they are getting in there. But I am going to push wire up everywhere and see how I go. Keep you updated

Well I am just beyond myself, went out to the aviary this morning as soon as it was day light, the peanut butter on trap in the escape part was gone but the trap didn't go off, that was okay, ants could of ate that because they did yesterday, BUT i went into the first aviary and checked the seed hopper and one mouse ran out and I managed to kill it and then another one ran out but by that time I opened the door and let it go, my heart was thumping that hard I couldn't go through it again. And the aviary stinks SO more work today, I think I know where the problem is , it's where the roof meets and Greg has a piece of wood there so I can't get to it, So i am going to attach wire to the wood and then fold it down under the wood to the wall of the aviary, I hope this does it. I went into the second aviary and I think I have solved the problem there , NO more smell. I caught one mouse in the bird room today.

Why don't you make one, probably would be cheaper, You can make it from wood like hard wood.NOT treated wood though. You can use alumimun and connector joints or steel. You can buy off cuts of steel sheeting or packing sheets which are the same as the normal pieces but shorter like 4 feet long at steel places etc, I paid $5.00 for mine and when I bought some other tin he gave it to me. If you have it suspended you will not need much, depending how long and wide, you would need a piece for the back and a piece on each side plus roof, around $5.00 pieces. I would have wire at front and sides 3/4 of the way from from the back as long as there is enough height for the light to get in. After the problem I am having with mice I would go with mouse proof wire which are really tiny squares because mice can climb through normal bird wire. If you were to buy one of the above , I would add some tin on back and sides and roof if there is none. BUT when aviaries or bird cages are to shallow, rains goes all the way in and everything gets wet including seed. Good luck with what you choose.